Fire-box construction.



J. M. MCCLELLON.

FIRE BOX CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED DBo.2e,1911.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

coLuMmA PLANoGnAr-H co..wAsH|NG-roN, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. IVICCLELLON, 0F EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

FIRE-BOX CONSTRUCTION.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES M. MCCLELLON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Everett, county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, (whose post-ofice address is 159 Beacham street, Everett, Massachusetts,) have invented an Improvement in Fire-Box Construction, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to locomotive and other fire-boxes and among other objects provides an improved crown for the fire-box and means for promoting circulation in the side walls of the tire-box whereby steam is generated more quickly and economically than heretofore.

The character of the invention may be best understood by reference to the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a rear end elevatio-n of a fireboX embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 242 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through the fire-box; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of Fig. 3 having parts broken away to disclose the internal construction of the side walls.

Referring to the drawing, the illustrative fire-box construction shown therein as embodying the invention comprises side walls 1 consisting of a series of upright hollow sections preferably of the character set forth in United States Letters Patent, No. 963,627 granted to me July 5, 1910. These sections may be secured against expansion in the direction of the length of the series by stay sleeves 3 and tie rods 5 similar to those set forth in my copending application, Ser. No. 667,841 tiled Dec. 26, 1911. The lower ends of the sections may be contracted or reduced and formed to st-raddle a foundation ring 7 and be secured thereto by suitable through bolts 9. To provide tight closure of said Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 26, 1911.

Patented Nov. 18,1913.

Serial No. 667,841.

sections directly above said ring each section is provided with a cup 11 welded or otherwise secured to such section.

The end sections of the series constituting the sides of the fire-box may be riveted or otherwise secured to a flue sheet 13 receiving usual iues 15 contained in a barrel 17. To provide an eXpansible connection between said Hue sheet and barrel the former is provided With a fiange 19 extending around its sides and top secured by a butt strap 21 to a throat sheet 23 secured to the barrel of the fire-box, said throat sheet and flue sheet being spaced at their bases and secured by through rivets to a mud-ring section 24 superposed on and secured to the foundation ring 7 referred to by threaded studs 24a projecting down through said foundation ring to receive nuts 24h. To conduct water from the barrel to the sections and thence from one section to another the flue sheet and adjacent walls of the sections are provided with registering apertures in which are eX- panded or otherwise secured suitable nipples 27. The upper ends of the sections may be closed by cups 29 riveted, welded or otherwise secured to said sections.

To facilitate the cleaning or flushing out of the sections the upper cups may be provided with closure means herein shown as plugs 31 threaded into apertures in said cups and the lower ends of the sections may be provided with similar means 33 entering said sections immediately above the cups closing said ends.

An important feature of the invention relates to the provision of means for promoting circulation in the wall sections. The hottest side of a section faces the interior of the fire-box and is the most active steam generating portion of the section. There is, therefore, a greater ebullition or steam developing process taking place along said side than along the opposite or outer side of the section. The rising of bubbles occasioned by this ebullition process creates a rising current or circulation of water along the fire side of the section, whereas cooler water will be adjacent the opposite or outer side of the section, and unless separated from the hotter water is more or less of a drag or retard to the rising current referred to.

An important feature of the invention relates to the provision of means for separating the rising stream of steam bubbles generated along the fire side of the tire-box from the less active water at the opposite side of the tire-box so that the objectionable retard referred to is eliminated and the generation and upward circulation of steam bubbles is greatly promoted. To this end each section may be provided with partition means shown herein in the form of a thin plate 35 located between the fire and outer sides of the section and extending longitudinally thereof, thereby dividing the section into two passages or chambers. Preferably said plate extends nearly the entire length of the section and terminates short distances from the closing cups at the opposite ends of the section. This plate may be secured in position in any suitable manner. As shown herein, the ends of the plate are bent or wrapped around the upper and lower stay sleeves 3 referred to of the section and riveted or welded to the body of the plate as at 37. To further secure said plate in Place, straps 39 are provided embracing the sleeves intermediate the ends of the plate and are riveted to the latter. By thus dividing a section a smaller volume of water is presented at a time to the hot steam generating fire side of the section than in a section of the same size without such division. As a result a large stream of steam bubbles is created which in their effort to rise to the surface of the water, create an upward circulation of water in the steam generating passage of the section and a rapid generation of steam is effected.

On reaching the upper end of the section the steam bubbles and some of the hot water pass into a crown to be described7 and liberate steam while the bulk of the rising current of water which carried the bubbles, passes around the upper end of the partition down through the outer passage, thence around the lower end of the partition and up again through the steam generating passage. Thus a continuous circulation is effected around the partition, greatly increasing the steam generating capacity of the section, with resultant economy and improved operation. The sections collectively constitute a hollow wall having spaced fire and outer sides with a partition between them creating a circulation up along the fire side and down the opposite side of the wall as a whole. At the same time there is an individual circulation in each section independent of the circulation in another section. As a result the steam generating activity in the hotter sections adjacent the Hue sheet is not retarded by less activity in cooler sections of the wall near the re door end of the lire-box. The rapid circulation and rapid supply of water to and along the fire sides of the sections prevents over-heating of said sides and tends to maintain a uniform temperature throughout, thereby eliminating unequal temperatures such as would be liable to cause unequal expansion and set up stresses and strains tending to weaken or distort the sections or wall as a whole.

An important feature of the invention relates to the crown of the fire-box. As shown herein, this crown comprises a plurality of drums including side drums 41, and an intermediate drum 47 preferably so placed that its bottom is somewhat beneath those of the side drums. The side wall sections project up and overlap the sides of said outer drums and are riveted or otherwise secured thereto. To permit the bubbles and steam generated in the sections to rise into said drums and to the surface of the water therein, said sections and drums may be apertured to receive nipples t4 expanded or otherwise formed into said apertures.

To retain as much as possible the cylindrical form of the drums, cover portions of the under surfaces of the side drums, contribute to the support thereof beneath the same and permit communication with said drums near their bottoms, the portions of the side wall sections overlapping said drums are curved to conform to the contours of said drums. The wall sections as shown herein have sides convexed or bulged toward the interior of the {ire-box, and in order that the sections may be secured to said drums without leaving spaces bet-Ween the sections, their bulged portions are flattened so that the sections are not only curved but flattened to conform to the crown drums.

Where a crown is composed of drums placed in the same horizontal plane with contacting sides secured centrally together, as soon as the water level falls below a horizontal plane passing through the centers of the drums, portions of the latter below their meeting points commence to be uncovered and by the time the water reaches nearly to the bottoms of the drums there will be large extensive under surfaces of the drums uncovered by the water. The fire playing on such uncovered portions of the drums is very apt to burn, weaken and injure the same.

An important; object of the invention is to provide a crown having the strength giving characteristics of a cylinder and at the same time provide an under fire exposed surface which will be entirely covered by water until the water level is low'ered nearly to the bott-oms of the drums. To this end the intermediate drum 43 referred to is formed to occupy the space between the side drums 41 in such a manner that it will substantially cover portions of the side drums extending from a plane passed through their centers to points nearly to the bottoms of said side drums. As a result, the bottoms or lire exposed portions of the drums will approach a fiat plane and the water level can fall nearly to the bottoms of the drums before uncovering any fire exposed portions thereof.` Preferably the bottoms of the drums are not flat but their curved form is retained to present central pockets into which the water will gravitate as it approaches the drum bottoms or the points last uncovered by the water.

It will be observed that the vertical distance from the lowest points of contact of the drums from the lowest points of the drums is slight. The water may safely drop somewhat below said points of contact since the volume of water at the bottoms of the drums adjacent said points will be effective to conduct heat from the small surfaces thus exposed and prevent their burning out, but when the water has dropped a little farther the total volume in the drums will be so slight that itwill flash into steam. Thus the water level may be safely lowered almost to the extreme lowest points of the drums before being dangerously exhausted therefrom. The water will How into the crown drums not only through the nipples connecting the side walls thereto, but also through the open ends of the drums entering the barrel and also, as more fully hereinafter described, through the nipples connecting the top of the fire door wall to the under surfaces of the drums. As a result, water will continue to be supplied to the drums after the water level has lowered beneath the nipple entrances from the side walls to the drums. To permit water to circulate from the side drums to the intermediate drum, nipples 43 may be expanded in registering apertures in said drums.

An important feature contributing to the prevention of the dropping of the water beneath tire exposed portions of the drums and facilitating the nippling and riveting of the same together, consists in attening the sides of the drums so that they have a considerable extent of contact surface. The front ends of the side drums extend through apertures in the flue sheet and are riveted or otherwise secured to collar flanges 45 bent from said sheet away from the interior of the tire-box. To permit circulation of water to and from the barrel and the intermediate drum, the latter is formed with a collar 47 preferably integral therewith and projecting therefrom flush with the bottom thereof through a liange 49 surrounding an aperture in the flue sheet and projecting away from the fire-box interior, said collar being rivk eted or otherwise secured to said flange.

In order that the flue sheet drum receiving apertures may not be sufliciently close to one another to weaken the flue sheet, in some instances it may be desirable to reduce the width of the end portion of the intermediate drum where it joins the flue sheet. As shown herein, the collar of the intermediate drum is considerably smaller than the diameter of the drum, and the sides of the drum adjacent the flue sheet converge toward said collar as at 51, thereby not only permitting ample material in the tiue sheet between the drum receiving apertures, but also providing a gradual conducting surface from the drum to its collar, preventing the formation of any abrupt shoulders such as might invite sediment or secretion. As stated, the intermediate drum collar is preferably considerably smaller than the diameter of the drum. To fill the space above this collar, the drum is provided with a head 53 formed to lit the contour of said collar and having a flange extending away from the flue sheet into the drum and followin the contour of the upper portion of the lgiead, and a iange oppositely bent into the upper portion of said collar and following the contour thereof, said Hanges being riveted or otherwise secured to the drum and collar respectively. To contribute to the securing of the intermediate drum in place the head at the collar end of the drum may be riveted or otherwise secured to the. flue sheet.

The rear or fire door end of the wall may comprise spaced outer and inner sheets 55 and 57, the inner having a long iange 59 overlapping and riveted to a short Hange 6l of the outer along the sides and top of said wall. These end sheets may be formed to tit the end of the tire box as determined by the side walls described, and the inner sheet may be riveted to the rear sections of said side walls. To secure said rear wall to said rear sections the tie rods 5 may be extended beyond said sections through the spaced sheets constituting said rear wall and may have sleeves 3'd thereon interposed between said sheets to assist in holding the same in position. To provide communication from said side walls to said rear wall the inner sheet may be apertured and nippled to said sections adjacent the bottom of the flue sheet. The lower ends of the spaced sheets forming the rear wall are secured by through rivets to a mud ring section 62 superposed on the foundation ring 7 referred to and secured thereto by threaded studs projecting down through said foundation ring to receive suitable nuts. The intermediate drum has a bumped flanged head 63 riveted to its end adjacent the rear wall of the fire-box. The upper end of the rear wall is formed to follow the contours of the under sides of the crown drums and may be riveted and nippled thereto. To receive steam from the intermediate drum there may be provided directly above the saine a steam drum 67 nippled and riveted to said intermediate drum and having a bumped head 67a adjacent the rear end of the fire-box and a ianged head G7" at the flue sheet end of the fire-box riveted to said intermediate drum and sheet and provided with an aperture registering with a similar aperture in the flue sheet, said apertures receiving a suitable nipple 69 expanded therein to conduct the steam from said steam drum to the barrel.

In use, the water is fed from the barrel to the lower ends of the side wall sections and into the space between the sheets comprising the fire door wall. As the water rises in the sections and the barrel it will flow into the crown drums and normally will be maintained a substantial distance above the bottoms of the drums. The hot fire in the fire-box will heat the section walls facing the interior of the fire-box, creating a rapid circulation in each of the sections and developing steam which passes from the sections into the side drums and is liberated on reaching the surface of the water therein. The hot fire playing on the under surfaces of the crown drums will also assist in developing steam, which will be free to pass from the crown drums through their open ends into the barrel and also will be free to pass from the interniediate drum into the steam drum above it and thence into said barrel.

Owing to the shape and arrangement of the crown drums the water level may be permitted to drop in said drums and barrel until nearly on a level with the lowest points of the crown drums before uncovering water from surfaces of said drums exposed to the fire. As a result a considerable range of water level in the barrel and crown may be had, and the liability of burning, weakening or injuring the crown from exhaustion of water therefrom is reduced to a minimum. The crown described not only has the advantages referred to with respect to its capacity for safe low water level, but also the form and arrangement of the drums present a crown of great strength and rigidity. This is due, among other things, to the fact that the drums are of general cylindrical shape and the pressure of the steam therein tends to maintain this cylindrical shape since it is a well known fact that pressure in a container tends to cause the same to assume a form circular in section. Preferably, adjacent drums are each flattened at their surfaces of Contact and thus any pressure in one tending to destroy this flattening is counteracted by the pressure in the other, and the tendency of such pressure is to maintain the drums in close intimate contact. The flattened surfaces of the drums present substantial areas for receiving the nipples providing communication between the drums and for receiving the rivets for securely holding the drums together. The crown as a whole is securely supported and positioned by its ends entered through the flue sheet and its opposite ends resting on the front wall of the fire-box. The crown as a whole is further supported by the side wall sections, the flattened and curved portions of which in a sense constitute seats for receiving and supporting the sides of the drums throughout the lengths of the sides of the fire-box.

The fire-box as a whole is inherently extremely strong in construction without the necessity of using stays and well able to withstand the rac; and severe use which locomotive fire-boxes must necessarily undergo.

It is not indispensable that all of the features of the invention be used conjointly since some of them may be used separately to advantage. In some instances it may be desired to use instead of a fire door wall composed of spaced sheets a lire door wall composed of upright sections having the general characteristics of the wall shown in said Letters Patent No. 963,627 referred to.

I-Iaving described one embodiment of my invention without limiting the same thereto, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a lire-box, the combination of a crown comprising a plurality of complete drums having adjacent sides flattened and assembled to maintain their fire-exposed surfaces covered with water until lowered nearly to the bottoms of said surfaces, and means providing communication between said drums through said flattened sides.

2. In a fire-box, the combination of a crown comprising a plurality of drums formed and assembled for contact with one another beneath the center of one of said drums to reduce the under fire exposed surface thereof.

3. In a tire-box, the combination of a crown comprising a plurality of drums having flattened adjoining sides extending beneath the center of one of said drums to reduce the fire exposed surface thereof and delay the uncovering of said surface until the water is nearly exhausted therefrom.

t. In a fire-box, the combination of a crown comprising a plurality of drums including side drums and an intermediate drum located a substantial distance beneath the centers of said side drums to reduce the tire exposed surfaces of said drums.

5. In a tire-box, the combination of a crown comprising a plurality of drums including side drums and a smaller intermediate drum contacting` with sides of said drums beneath their centers.

6. In a fire-box, the combination oic a crown comprising a plurality of drums including side drums and an intermediate drum, said drums having contacting Hattened side portions extending beneath the centers of said side drums.

7. In a tire-box, the combination oiC a crown comprising a plurality of drums including side drums and an intermediate drum nippled and riveted thereto beneath a plane passing tirough the centers of said side drums.

8. In a lire-box, the combination of a crown comprising a plurality of drums including side drums and an intermediate drum having a collar ot' less diameter than said drum entered through an aperture in a Hue sheet and secured to said sheet.

9. In a {ire-box, the combination of a Hue sheet, a crown including side drums and an intermediate drum having a collar of less diameter than said drum entered through a flanged aperture in said Hue sheet and secured thereto, said drum having Hattened portions inclining from a wall of the drum toward said collar.

10. In a ire-box,the combination of a Hue sheet and a crown comprising side drums and an intermediate drum having a collar entered through a Hanged aperture of said Hue sheet and a head in said drum adjacent said collar.

11. In a fire-box, the combination or" a Hue sheet and a crown comprising side drums and an intermediate drum having a collar integral therewith projecting from a flanged aperture in said Hue sheet.

12. In a tire-box, the combination ot a Hue sheetand a crown comprising side drums and an intermediate drum having a collar Hush with the bottom of said drum and projecting through a flanged aperture in said Hue sheet.

13. In a {ire-box7 the combination of a Hue sheet and a crown comprising side drums and an intermediate drum having a coilar at one end smaller than the drum diameter and projecting through a flanged aperture in the Hue sheet and a head in the collar end of said drum Hlling the space around said collar and having a Hange projecting into and secured to the drum and a Hange. projecting away from the interior of the fire-box and secured to said collar.

14. In a HreboX, the combination of a crown comprising side drums and an intermediate drum contacting with said side drums throughout a substantial part of their under sides. an end wall and a Hue sheet and means permitting communication of said intermediate drum with said end wall and through said Hue sheet with the barrel of the lire-box. i

15. In a tire-box7 the combination of a crown comprising side drums and an intermediate drum adjacent thereto beneath a plane passing through the centers or" said side drums and a steam drum located above said intermediate drum.

16. In a tire-box. the combination of a crown comprising side drums and an intermediate drum communicating therewith and a steam drum above said intermediate drum nippled and secured thereto.

17. In a tire-box, the combination of side walls comprising a series 0i upright hollow sections communicating with one another adjacent their lower ends, a barrel and Hue sheet having provision for conducting water to said side walls, ay crown comprising a plurality ot drums, the latter being apertured and nippled to the upper end portions of said side wall sections, and an end wall communicating with said drums, thereby providing construction permitting a circulation from the barrel up through said side and end walls through said drums and back to said barrel.

1S. In a tire-box, the combination of a crown comprising a drum having a flattened portion and another drum having a Hattened portion contacting with the Hattened portion of the other, and means to secure said portions together.

19. In a tire-box, the combination of a crown comprising drums, each having portions Hattened beneath the center of one of said drums, and means to secure said Hattened portions together.

20. In a tire-box7 the combination of a crown comprising a plurality of drums, each having Hattened sides, and nipples in said sides providing communication from one of said drums to another.

21. In a {ire-box, the combination of a. crown comprising a plurality of drums, each having Hattened sides apertured to provide communication from one to another through said Hattened sides.

22. In a tire-box, the combination of crown drums and side wall sections curved to conform to the contours of said drums.

23. In a fire-box, the combination of crown drums and side wall sections bulged toward the interior of the Hre-boX and having portions curved and Hattened to conform to the contours of said drums.

211. In a tire-box, the combination of crown drums, side wall sections having portions curved to conform to the contours of said drums and means to secure said portions to said drums.

25. In a tire-box, the combination of crown drums, side wall sections having p0rtions overlapping and curved to conform to the contours of said drums, said portions having provision providing communication With said drums and means to secure said portions to said drums.

2G. In a fire-box, the combination of crown drums and side Wall sections having portions curved to conform to the contours of said drums and nippled and secured 10 thereto.

27.1n a {ire-box, the combination of crown drums and side Wall sections having portions formed to present curved seats for receivinfr and contributing to the support of the sides of the drums.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specication, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES M. MCCLELLON.

Vitnesses:

HENRY T. WILLIAMS, EVERETT S. EMERY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

